The Discipline Of Decreasing

The Discipline Of Decreasing by George Lockhart

I must decrease, He must increase. John 3:30

God is the only One anyone should be completely dependent upon.always be pointing others to Him. If we are not careful we can supplant God in other’s lives by trying to meet needs that aren’t ours to meet. When others look to us before God there is a problem. When others look to us instead of God there is a problem. When others see us and not God there is a problem. As John The Baptist said: “I must decrease”. Are we decreasing? Some want to feel needed by others when all others really need is God. God will use us most when we decrease and let Him have all the glory.

Our job isn’t to always step in and prevent problems but we can always step in and pray for people in their problems. At times God may allow a set of difficult circumstances to teach someone a lesson. Consequences cannot always be averted. We must be very careful to not play an “amateur God” in someone’s life; let God be God, which means we may have to back off. His way of handling people and circumstances may be very different than our pain free way but His way is always most effective. It is imperative to remember that God loves people more than we do.

He must increase. As we point others to God and allow their dependence and faith to grow in Him, we are actually doing them the biggest favor possible: helping them to see God’s faithfulness and provision. Am I saying that we are to never meet others’ needs? Of course not! What I’m saying is that we must always let God be the one showing us when and how and if that’s what He wants at a given time. His voice must be louder than every other voice.

Are you in the way of someone seeing God?

Do you feel the need to be needed? Is that causing you to interfere with what God wants to do in someone’s life?

How can you better help others depend on God and not yourself?